Unemployment Data

The Labour Force Survey for June 2010 has been released by Statistics Canada showing a modest decrease in unemployment from the prior month of 0.2%, bringing it to 7.9%. The peak of the current recession was 8.7% in August 2009. The unemployment rate really began rising after October 2008 (when it was 6.2% – November 2008 was 6.5%). It peaked in August 2009 at 8.7% (that’s after ten months) and in the succeeding ten months has declined to 7.9%.

Here’s a table showing the decline sine the peak unemployment rate.

Looking over the entire dataset from January 1976 it becomes apparent how persistently high unemployment in this country once used to be. Here’s a brief table showing some of the tops and bottoms in the rate between the beginning of the dataset (January 1976) and June 2010.

And here’s the graph of the entire dataset from January 1976 to June 2010.